Reflections of Winter
by triquetratraveler
Summary: In the realms of mythical gods, fairies, mortals, and other unknown sentient beings, the signs of impending wars have began. The fate of the nine worlds hang on a balance on the love between an immortal boy of winter and a mortal girl who has the power of ice and snow. (AU) (Norse Mythology) (First Short Story) (Jack, Elsa, Freyja, Loki, Thor, Sandy, Bunny)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – A Glimpse of Love through the Looking Glass -

"Oi! How many times did I say to you that your time here had long been over?!"

 _Was it a screeching of an annoying, real grumpy, and full of himself creature he hears?!_

He ignored the shouts below as the unyielding bringer of winter created more ice and snow while the winds and clouds played around him who is as wild and free as they are in the skies.

"Damn it, you frosted pig-headed brat!"

Flying, the stubborn boy faced downward on earth. Viewing the creature of spring hopping speedily and thawing several areas of his winter tundra, the white haired boy gave a mischievous look and smirk, landed on the nearby tree branch and tapped his staff, causing the newly melted snow to return to its icy wasteland.

"Why?! I am going to pulverize you!" The short-tempered Pooka shouted at the bringer of winter who gave a wide irritating grin and stuck out his tongue at the opposing season.

"Winter wins! Spring sucks!" he shouted victoriously, holding out his staff up with both hands while E. Aster Bunnymund struggled to control his raging emotions. "So, what do you think, kangaroo, impressed with my wintry work!"

"Yah dingbat! Do you think this is a child's game?!" The Pooka shouted emotionally. "You are long overdue! And a lot of living things are dying because of you! You know, this realm cannot survived with a longer winter!"

"Awww…you really do care…"

"Shut up, fool! At least I do care, unlike you and your frozen hearted kind! I suggest you return to your home realm, Niflheim!"

"And if I don't want to! What are you going to do, Cottontail? Grab your time orbed walking stick and hit me on my ass, or just tell me that I'm grounded for eternity in my room in Niflheim."

"I will file a complaint to your father, the Winter King!"

Jack floated in the air, laughing boisterously upon hearing the Pooka who frowned further. Bunny badly humiliated, felt losing slowly his temper and logical reasoning, did not realized he spilled something most unheard of.

"Fine! Laugh it up, ice brat! But I will have the last laugh if I tell Elsa about the ruckus you've been doing in this time! Do you think I am the only one who could powerfully thaw ice here to bring forth spring…!" Bunnymund realizing what he said, bit his tongue and silently scolded himself for being so tired from time traveling, that he had literally lost track of time due to his anger at the irritating boy of winter.

"Elsa? Elsa who? Who's this Elsa anyway?" Jack asked curiously, halted laughing when hearing such words from the Pooka. "I wonder why the rabbit bit his tongue…?!"

"None of your business!" Bunnymund tried to cover it up, cursed under his breath and desperately placed his hairy paws in his coat's pockets, looking for something to remedy a fatal mistake he had done. He ceased doing so when he felt Jack Frost disappears swiftly from the branch of the tree in front of him.

Standing in silence after feeling the winds and leaves swirled so fast passed him, he turned at the other side, viewed Jack crouching on the large boulder behind him. The bringer of winter held out his hand, showing his prize which he had taken since he won their game of the longest season.

"I've won, so this is mine!" Jack smiled widely when seeing the Pooka's calm and composed eyes were gone. Bunny started to glare viciously. "You want it! Come and take it from me!" Jack lowered his staff downwards summoning the winds to cover his getaway as the Pooka snarled angrily.

 _So the frosted buffoon wants to play hide and seek!_

The Pooka held up his long ears and sniffed the air, pivoted to a particular direction as he tapped his foot, opening a hole beneath him. And when he gave a peek out from his hole, he viewed himself inside the distressing abode of the Lord of Cunning and Mischief.

 _Bull dust! Of all places! This is where the rotten spoiled kid came to hide!_

Bunny leaped out from his hole and eyed the countless maze-like dark and frosted corridors and halls of the horned god.

* * *

The wind swept haired boy covered his mouth with his free hand briefly, snickered softly before biting his lips from laughing out when eyeing Bunny going at the wrong direction of his godly ancestor's twisted and topsy-turvy domain.

He tiptoed above, entering into one of the halls so difficult to reach by someone who could never fly. As he entered upside down, he was amazed by the varied contraptions floating steadily in their designated places.

 _Awesome! This is an excellent place to hide!_

The mischievous boy hurried to hide near the corner excitedly, expecting to blend in the darkness and cold but ceased when he accidentally pulled the covering over one of the contraptions inside. He turned to view that he was not leaning near an ordinary corner but a door of a secret room.

Curiously, Jack flew further inside the gloomy narrowed room as he saw a sparkling light at the far side. When he had reached the farthest side, he came to realize that it was only a mirror reflecting the light emanating from his frosted covered wooden staff.

 _Oh, that mirror!_

The immortal boy with messy white hair contemplated and recalled his godly ancestor's warning. Loki told him not to look and drew near it. He did not turned his back as curiosity grew inside of him, retained his blue eyes at the mirror. Then, he started to make funny faces and outrageous postures in front of it.

 _Odd, why did he told me so? It's just an ordinary mirror?! And he even gave it a name, Trolden Mirror, for his family's request as a part of that boring ritual of heirlooms to be exchanged amongst the three great houses of Niflheim._

Raising his eyebrow, this time he pondered seriously again. Jack remained recalling repeatedly Loki's rare sincere face, speaking at him seriously of not looking and touching the mirror. He gave a soft sarcastic chuckle before his family's heirloom.

 _Yeah, right?! Who's Loki kidding?! Everything is a joke to the horned god! Loki is the source of all mischiefs! Don't look and touch! Because the Snaer family's Vanir ancestor had made a counter cursed on it! That golden lady is not an equal power against his own ancestors, Thor and Loki!_

For a moment, he stood there, eyeing his reflection before he almost turned away when he accidentally dropped the Pooka's egg-shaped time gem that rolled towards the mirror. And once the time gem struck the mirror, a mysterious friction caused a strange spark. From out of nowhere, a voice within him spoke of the love he would see. The boy drew slowly towards the mirror, dropped his staff when seeing he is not looking anymore at his reflection but someone else - a girl. A very gorgeous girl with serene blue eyes and platinum blond hair. And she seemed staring back from the window, startled as if she could see him too. For a while her stunning emotional eyes were filled with fear, but it changed into curiosity, awe, and finally, blissful delight. He placed his hand on the mirror when viewing she does the same thing with her hand on the window. And for the first time, the winter deity felt differently. An indescribable elated sensation of not being alone, making the bringer of winter gave his most beautiful and sincerest smile at her.

* * *

"No! Elsa! Bring me back there! I want to be with her! Please! No! Elsa!"

Loki remained pulling Jack further way from the Trolden Mirror, shouted at his servants in his domain.

"Where were you, you damn trolls! You are here to guard my abode to prevent something like this from occurring!"Loki's eyes glowed in wrathful red.

Large boulders moved towards their lord and master who keeps dragging his descendant further away who was screaming, his legs thrashing up and down. The boy struggled to free himself as if he was melting away in agony.

"Look at this! You insolent fools! Do I have to do everything myself!"Loki snarled coldly. He cursed and took away some of their powers, making his servants shrunk into small boulders and turning them into their less terrifying selves. "Bind the boy! I have to pull out that Vanir's counter curse…."

Loki halted his whispered Nordic magical chants when he touched Jack on the chest where his heart is, making him fearfully stepping away from the bounded boy being held by the smaller rock trolls. Loki turned away his fuming face, knew that curse was so powerful for him to break. He lashed out his dark powers at the intruder who had gotten possession of his egg shaped time jewel.

Bunnymund evaded while Loki shouted angrily like a roar of a thousand icy winds wrecking everything, ignoring he killed some of his trolls. Shocked, the time traveling Pooka gathered himself up and summoned himself out of that accursed realm while Loki held his descendant, calling out at Heimdallr, the god-watcher of the burning rainbow bridge, to use the Bifröst to urgently teleport them to Asgard.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – A Pair of Godly Grudges -

"Loki!"

"I said stay out of this, Thor! This is between Death and me!" The god of cunning and mischief sneered and blocked Death who left his brother's side, Dream, also known as Sandy who changed his swirly golden sand shape into a small friendly and approachable form of a deity of dreams.

"I just wanted to have a closer look at the Frost prince…isn't that distressed you, Lord of Mischief?" Death's sullen dark eyes shifted from the Norns. Standing next to the Norns, daughters of Chronos, Freyja ignored Loki frowning angrily at her. "A bargain is a bargain. The Lady's word is honored amongst the Fates."

"Honored?!"Loki snapped, then he approached her.

"Never seen you cared so much!" The golden haired goddess of love and beauty eyed at Loki. "What would I say Loki, we are now even!"

"Even?! You want to play eternal nasty games with me, you Vanir witch!"

"You started it! And I swear I will finished it!" Freyja did not moved away, stepped closer to Loki for her to whisper near his ear. "You gave me an ugly scar that turned into a gaping endless hole, and it needs to be fed forever, and it's what you called pain." She paused. "Why?! Do you think because I am Love, I am weak and I will never fight back?!"

"You once bit like a tempting snake of pleasures and desires! So it is fitting I have to strike you back all over again and again?!"Loki's eyes slightly blinked as if recalling something between them and shoving it away. "Still holding grudges between us in all eternity?!"

"Between us?! You lying cheating bastard, are you joking?! You sly fox of lies and chaos, who already involved my Snaer descendants with the mayhem and havoc you brewed in Niflheim! Because of your unquenchable jealousy, you deliberately made that Trolden Mirror, and placed a curse upon my descendants who are suffering and are being killed because of the prophecy about one of them who will end the coldness!" Then, she spoke of words of an unseen future. "How I wish I could see the day when a green hulking giant will smash that smug off your face."

"Is that a threat?! Mere words from a scorned woman! But this, I have to say - the Fates never lie! Your monstrous descendant will destroy them." Loki retorted at Freyja who slapped her hand at Loki's face in an unexpected anger, making one of her blue eyes turned green. The surprised god of cunning and mischief stepped back with his widened eyes while his hand touched his cheek where she had slapped him hard.

"You are forgetting, the Norns, are under me. Fates only occur to those living - mortal and immortal! I am Love, Source of Life! I am the giver, and the taker of life. And I will have dominion over death! And I will prove it when she comes! Oh, she will come! And this undying pain you once gave me will be felt by your best prodigy who will never be your heir!"

After spatting out such emotional words, Frejya looked down and stared at the little Winter Prince beside Loki and Thor with her green eye glowing menacingly.

Her last words addressed to the white haired and blue eyed immortal boy. "You remember her, of course, you do. Loki tried to erase the memory of her from you. But he can't. No power would ever do so. For you will always remember and dream of her every time in all eternity - the one you most truly and only love but you will never have her and her love."

Upon hearing her most cruel words as if she had pierced him in the heart again, Loki angrily materialized his ice powers and shot it at Frejya who was protected quickly by the Norns showing their true allegiance to the lady of love and beauty. They produced a powerful shield that returned Loki's ice blasts. Thor's lightning immediately and protectively destroyed the blasts before it would hit him and the immortal boy.

"Freyja, revoke your curse!"Thor shouted in a demanding way, finding it so cruel to bear even by an immortal.

Freyja did not answer remained her eyes at the shocked white haired boy who looked confused and perplexed before her, who is Love.

"I said revoke it!"

"What I give is received….for I am one of the Vanir gods whose words made true."

"Please, Freyja, whatever happened between you and my brother, Loki, it is not just to get the boy involved!" Thor tried to appease the other immortal.

"How many times, do I have to say this, there is nothing between me and that quim!" Loki pointed at Freyja but ceased when Death gave an amused growl of laughter.

"Yeah, before you wedded your wives and mistresses, and surrounded yourself with several lovers…"Death scoffed, crossed his skinny boned arms being covered by his long flowing tattered robes while his six skeletal wings remained folded behind his back.

Loki narrowed his eyes at Death who spoke further ignoring Loki's threatening look since he was used to Loki, proving he was once a close acquaintance.

"I was there!" Death spoke honestly. "Well, of course, before I was Death. I was one of your companions along with my brother, Dream! We escorted you to Vanaheim, the realm of the Vanir immortals, after that tragic consequences regarding the mistrust and the killing of one of our offered hostages to the Vanir side. You were sent by All-Father Odin to settle everything peacefully, but what can I say, you were a troublemaking god who fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the Lord of the Vanir gods, Freyja. You were literally blown off out of your mind when you first saw her and started desiring her who seemed never hesitant in letting you in her room and bed, every day and night! You only returned in your senses when my brother, Dream, sent a message that Thor will be coming since there was no word from you for months! He was ready to wage war with the Vanir to have you back in Asgard. Afterwards, everything begin to settle down with you mediating the two sides, making the three Vanir gods join the Asgardian gods. And all was history."

"You think he was afraid that Thor will wage war with us again and make things worse?!" Freyja guffawed. "He settled things quickly so that Thor will not come there and have me! He's an overbearing, possessive and envious son of a bitch! He was always complaining that Thor always had the best!"

"Oh please! Your vanity never really ceased to amaze me!" Loki sneered at Freyja. "But what could I say, nearly every first age god here had a piece of you, even the dwarves who gave you that precious golden necklace you wore, you cunt!" Loki ceased when Sandy mutedly gestured at them at something. "W-What?!" he controlled his anger, recalling Dream rarely speaks. "Sometimes, I really want to hear your voice but I need to be asleep to do so!" He halted when seeing Death was behind the boy and was whispering at his heir, making Loki alarmed.

Overhearing Death whispering a clue to the little Winter Prince how to get around dark curses made by first age immortals, the lord of mischief shoved him away from the boy.

"Go away you putrid stench!" Loki hissed at Death who just smiled. His smile hidden among the shadows of his hood. "What did you say to him?!"

"I told him to join our side, the side opposing the side where your brother and your ex-flaming desire championed."

Loki doubtful, lowered himself and eyed directly at Jack. "Did he asked you?"

Jack nodded silently as his mind remained always thinking about the girl who he saw in the mirror.

"Is that all?" Loki asked firmly, then suddenly he grabbed his shoulders and shook the boy. "Don't you lie to me now! Remember the time you lied to me and disobeyed me! I told you not to look and draw near the Trolden Mirror when the Vanir temptress placed a counter curse on the heirloom. But you did not listened to me, you impertinent fool, you were making pranks at the time wielding Pooka and stole his egg shaped time powered jewel…"

"And saw and loved her…" The golden goddess of love intruded with a wicked smile while Loki stopped shaking the boy. "You are losing him, Loki…he had fallen in love the moment he saw her, the one who was prophesied that could thaw the coldest ice." Freyja narrowed her eyes at Jack. "Fitting, isn't it?! Your most prided prodigy whom you claimed to be the coldest ice amongst them. The one who will someday rule Niflheim as its most Legendary Winter King." She turned and almost walked away with the Norns.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – The Great Hall of Mediation and the Agreement -

Letting the boy go, Loki stood up. He was clenching his hands into fists. "This is not over!" Loki faced Freyja, uttered Old Norse words of Asgardian Law, causing the entire surrounding around them to disappear. They were teleported in a very distinct and grander hall where glass-like floors showed the different galaxies of stars and planets below. They stood before a particular ivory and jade built door with carved texts and symbols of the universal laws to be respected by every immortal. It is the Great Mediation Hall where different sides meet and try to settle, negotiate, or even duel to the death.

As the doors of the Great Hall opened, Loki stepped forward addressing their All-Father Odin, who is the supreme Asgardian god that could judge even the most powerful immortals like them. He lowered himself, kneeling and bowing out of respect.

"All-Father Odin, we sought your infinite wisdom, place your word and hand in favor of the right, and correct what is wrong."

Upon saying such words, the ivory and jade door opened more widely with Odin standing in front and in between Baldur and Forseti, while his ravens perched and rested on his shoulders. The King of Asgard moved forward not leaving his eyes at his sons, particularly at Loki who is obviously and deeply offended, with his heart filled of searing pain and hate.

"I am Ruler and Judge, because of this, I have to be impartial, unbiased and just." He halted walking towards them, could not deny he's also concerned as a father. "But I feel your overwhelming emotions, my son Loki, regarding this long eternal conflict between you and Freyja." His eyes shifted from Loki to Freyja. "Vanir Lady of Love, Freyja, I could also sense you have also been given grievances by my son, Loki. Grievances so terrible, it left an ice cold scar within your gentle loving warm heart. You sought justice, and expect I will hear and try both of you. But I cannot. Alas, I am conflicted too, as his father and as your King and Judge, because Loki does not stand alone wronged here, Thor, my son is too. I heard Thor's words, and it rang true. Your words were too cruel for the immortal boy of Niflheim." Odin ceased, held his golden staff and pointed at his right side where Baldur stood. The god of light twitched his eyes as his father was designating him to hear and try, along with Forseti, his own son who is the god of justice.

Odin turned his back at them, moved away while Baldur moved at the middle, eyed both his elder brothers, Thor and Loki.

After hearing out each parties, he knew he was in a terrible dilemma. He contemplated that Loki is clearly seeking for a duel to the death, but that was barbaric for his civilized taste. And he knew the consequences of his decisions which he will be rendering. If he choose in favor his brothers, it is apparently biased, and the Vanir gods will wage war. A war, so terrible like the prophesied Ragnarok. And there will never have peace again. So, a settlement or even a negotiation would be better. Of course, an agreement for everyone to compromise. But, he knew Loki will turned his entire wrath at him. It is better that he will have his brother's anger rather than place the entire nine worlds into chaotic war and destruction.

Baldur held out a scroll towards Forseti who read it. Moving away from his seat, the god of justice approached towards the opposing parties.

"Norns will remained neutral, without any side to join. As for Death…" Forseti raised his brow at Death who moved back as to take the decision. "You had a conflict of interests. You wanted the boy as your heir so does Loki and Thor. The boy belongs to Thor and Loki…"

"As of now…"Death whispered in a sinister way while Forseti's look turned stern at Death.

"You will not be a part of the Agreement!" Forseti ordered Death. "Your brother, Dream will take your place!" The god of justice moved away from Death, paced towards Thor. The god of thunder and war gestured Forseti, seemed to know what Baldur had decided. His blue eyes left Loki who was shaking angrily beside him, shifted his look to Baldur who looked away from them.

"Baldur…"Thor whispered sadly his younger brother's name. The most beloved deity in Asgard did not returned his eyes at them. "Brother…" Thor's head shook as if disapproving.

"Address me as the Judge!" Baldur still unable to look at his brothers. "This hall is under my power, and is my domain!"

"Judge?!" Loki spitefully burst out from his silence. "You think I will accept your decision, my younger brother?! An Agreement - what folly! A young god who was loved by all, but no, look at him now, rendering his first judgment instead of our father, who is the real Supreme Judge here! You are a coward, my brother! You refused a duel! Why?! Because you know Thor and I will win against her and her cohorts!"

Baldur stood up immediately, answered back at Loki's accusations. "And allow a full blown war against the Vanir gods?! Are you mad?! You are always the crazy one who causes trouble, Loki! You are just lucky because Thor, our eldest brother, was always been there to keep you out from your mess once in a while!"

"Trouble? You want me to give you real trouble…" Loki's eyes glared at Baldur, quickly appeared standing in front of Baldur.

"Loki, stop it!" Thor moved between Loki and Baldur. "I'll take Forseti's words. I am out of the Agreement, but I will choose the immortal who will represent me." The god of thunder and war looked above and gave a calming smile. "I call a fellow mighty god of the skies who will help my descendant of winter."

After saying such words, a flood of radiant silvery light surrounded the entire hall. And a figure so majestic like the god of thunder stood in all his glory momentarily blinding everyone. Tsar Lunar eyed his glowing eyes at Thor.

"The Lord of Thunder and War called me, and here, I stand tall by his side and the good he champions."

"Oh come on?!" Loki exasperated at Thor's chosen representative. "Give me a break! No offense, Tsar Lunar, or could I just called you, Máni, in your Old Norse name, since you are here in our realm of Asgard." Loki frowned at Thor as if hoping his brother could decipher his secret message with his look. When the lord of thunder and war could not comprehend Loki's devious and dishonorable schemes, the god of cunning sighed in frustration and moved towards Thor whose confident smile faded when his sly brother whispered at him. "Are you so damn honorable? You chose the exceptionally good guys, and not the clever ones! We need the cunning bad ass ones who will lower themselves to do the dirty work to uphold your ideal good to triumph?! Not the powerful and honorable ones?! They will be easily swayed by her noble ideas, the Vanir temptress of Love! There must be a balance to everything!" Loki moved way from Thor and eyed Mani and Dream before them, giving a loud clicking sound with his tongue, an obvious annoyance as he turned to face to listen at Forseti. The god of justice continued with the judgment.

"The Golden Lady of Love and Beauty, and the Horned Lord of Cunning and Mischief will have no representatives, and they will be solely vow not to fully taint and twist the Agreement…" the god of justice halted speaking when abruptly the floor beneath them frosted, shutting all the lights of the galaxies of the stars below.

Without warning, a gigantic ice sprang upwards from the floor. It towered before them, and then, it shattered revealing the fearsome sight of a Niflheim royalty, making the white haired prince's eyes gave a sign of relief of seeing a familiar sight of his father, the King of Niflheim.

"The winds were fast enough to whisper to me about a judgment concerning my son!" The Winter King icily and emotionless eyed his fellow gods in the same hall where he stood, spoke as he left the shattered pieces of the iceberg. "The royal blood of Niflheim should be left alone from your whims, vendettas, and tirades! You all have done enough damage to my own realm." He held his hand against Loki and Thor. "And I don't care if he came from both of you!" he paused after striding away from the first age gods, and then his piercing and lethal cold blue eyes rolled towards the Vanir. "As for you, I swore I will kill every one of your bloodline for the sake of Niflheim and my people's existence since you cursed my son!" He spoke coldly at Freyja who stood on her ground while Death seemed to leave her side, goes beside the Winter King, who in truth was his own son when he was once living. Then, the King of Niflheim turned to Forseti. "Am I not included in this Agreement?! After all, I am his father! It seemed I will be seeking the one to represent me!"

"Oh yes!" Loki held and rubbed both of his hands, knowing his bad ass descendant will chose. "How I love the cold and the darkness!"

"I call the Lord High General of the Galaxies, Kozmotis Pitchiner."

The door of the hall opened immediately when eerie silence was broken by the sound of his boots echoing against the frosted glass floor. He stood before them with his cape flowing behind his onyx black armor.

The silence only ceased when Loki was clapping hard as if the game pieces were complete and he will be seeing his most entertaining anticipated show.

"Can we all start now with this so-called Agreement?!" Loki spoke with a full grin so twisted with evil that held Freyja with absolute calm vigilance. "Let's make this even, shall we all?! To make this clear, this does not only centers around the Winter Prince, but also the one who he most truly and only loved."

As soon as he spoke, all of them stood before a round table, and the sound of the doors of the Great Hall closed shut.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – A King's Demise -

He had no idea how long the negotiations went on, but it seemed endless, and all gods haven't meet their minds to settle things between them. For each deity was full of pride, all weren't open for a compromise.

One of the fairest gods, who was so sick and tired of restlessly watching his fellow immortals, intruded the ceaseless arguments with a loud yawn.

"Why do you all make things so complicated…?" the youngest immortal honestly questioned the elder gods. "You could wake me up if all of you are finished bickering and pushing your own self-interests…"The white haired boy of winter spoke sarcastically and gave a sleepy gesture at the god of dreams to give him more of his golden sands so that he could slumber away.

The other gods find his demeanor rude, except his godly ancestors, particularly Loki who laughed amusedly upon seeing Freyja narrowed her eyes annoyed at the immortal boy.

"The boy's right," Thor voiced out. "We are going nowhere with this Agreement, even my representative, Máni, find most of you inflexible for a compromise."

"You see!" Loki gestured his hand, facing Baldur and Forseti. "Your judgment is useless…"

"No. It is binding." Forseti remained firm. "The problem is that no one wants to put aside their differences. No one wants to be an equal, for everyone wants more than the others."

"Forseti speaks the truth," Baldur agreed with his son, the god of justice. He faced the immortal boy with blue eyes. "All of you never considered hearing out the boy since he himself is the center of this." He stood up and left his seat, and approached the boy who was seated with the other deities. Gesturing for the King of Niflheim not to speak for his son, the Winter Prince, Baldur asked the blue eyed boy. "Speak your thoughts, son of Winter."

"About this Agreement?" Jack whispered as he noticed everyone's eyes and ears are attentive towards him. "I find it unnecessary and unfair. I mean, why include someone's fate here when she's not here in the first place?! How could she tell us if she's into the agreement? What's the angle? Unless her ancestor here had her own interests which…?"

"I am her ancestor, and I know someday she will accept it." Freyja's words snapped when she didn't allow the prince of Niflheim to further question her. "Besides, I am not the only one here who had interests, everyone does so does your lying shrewd ancestor, Loki." The golden goddess observed Loki at the opposite side beside Jack, the lord of mischief was snickering at her and her words.

"Even the boy knows you're a vengeful witch!" Loki smiled widely, twisted his descendant's last word - which into witch, as he chuckled at Freyja in sarcasm. "Of course, he does, thanks to you who cursed him through the Trolden Mirror!"

"Don't you ever twist it around with your silver tongue, devil!" The Vanir goddess fumed at the lord of cunning and mischief.

"Enough! We are returning back to where we started. And I don't want to waste any more time! I would rather be with my family or out in my ship with my fleet in the seas of galaxies of stars." Lord Kozmotis Pitchiner replied, crossed his arms. "I want to hear more from the boy instead. Besides, he is the most affected here. Tell us, Prince of Niflheim, what you feel?"

"I don't like it." The blue eyed boy stood up while his father remained placid in silence, observing his son who turned serious this time around. The white haired bringer of winter frowned at the golden goddess and flew out from the great hall while the gods burst into whispers and arguments except for Loki and Freyja who fell silent.

Loki's wide grin was slowly turning into an angry frown, glared at the Vanir goddess while Freyja's eyelashes fluttered and gave a faint triumphant smile at Loki.

For the immortal boy of winter had finally revealed for the first time that he was deeply concerned for the inevitable plight of the mortal girl who he loves.

* * *

When he left the Great Hall of Mediation with the doors automatically closed shut behind him, Jack heard the spreading of the frosts followed by his father's winter winds. He ceased flying, landed on the glass like floor while the King of Niflheim rose up from the multitudes of frosts and stood in front of his son. The white haired boy lowered to bow and held out his materialized frosted wooden staff towards his father who held the royal staff. He stood up straight in composed attentiveness as his father allowed him to draw near.

"I think it is time for you to go back home with me. Come, my son." The white haired and short bearded King with royal blue eyes spoke at him.

"But I think I'm not finished bringing winter in Midgard…"

"Your other brothers will be in-charge of it. My envoys and imperial guards will accompany them to prevent an unfortunate incident like yours. I have sent word that you will be relieve for a while."

The boy stopped walking. He remained silent, standing behind his father. His emotionless father halted in his tracks, slowly turned to face him.

"You will return training as a Warrior of Ice under the supervision of your mentor, Snip. I know that you have finished all of the lessons and trainings, including the ice sword techniques, warfare strategies, the berserker (warrior madness) power mode techniques, and the higher forms of winter spells, especially All-Father Odin's warrior codes of binding fear into your enemies hearts and releasing fear within one's self. Your new disciplinary routine is better than allow you to dilly-dally around and making crazy and wild pranks at the time-wielding Pooka." He noticed his son's blue eyes looked away, the king gave a stern cold look. "Fun times and mischief-making have to be set aside for duties and responsibilities, my son. Because someday, you might be taking my mantle as king of our realm. You need to follow the rules, and take responsibilities, because when you are king, you will make the rules and govern Niflheim as our people expect us to be. And don't you ever tell me, you would not be king, because what if your brothers might not be worthy to take the throne, but it is only you who is capable of doing so." After stating such, his father outstretched his right hand holding the royal frosted crook staff before Jack. "This royal staff hold all powers of Niflheim, and could only be possessed by someone from the line of Winter Kings. It is considered as one of the most powerful weapons in the nine worlds along with your godly ancestor Thor's Mjölnir. It will be your protector and your friend. And with your powers combined with the staff, by using it as a conduit, you will be unstoppable. That is why you alone must be able to control it through your strongest willpower. And I sensed long before that you had that ice cold will. That is the reason, I had delegated to you the position of being the bringer of winter, because you can easily wield the royal staff. But now, seeing you in that Great Hall earlier, it proved that wicked Vanir cursed you, you seemed to be someone else who I do not know."

"F-Father…" Jack whispered as if he swallowed a lump inside his throat. How he wanted to tell his father that he is truly himself earlier inside the great hall.

"When we return home, I am making sure I will have my son back!" The Winter King commanded his winds and frosts that surrounded him and his son to return them back to Niflheim.

* * *

By the time they arrived in their home realm, new winds joined the winter winds surrounding them as if it were carrying urgent news. Both father and son were alarmed, readied themselves when the powerful winter winds disappeared and they came facing at the turmoil and havoc in their own capital.

"Stay near!" The King ordered Jack who floated inches from the ground since the winds spoke of his other sons were killed in the chaotic battle occurring in their Winter Kingdom. He summoned out his royal staff and slammed it on the ground, causing strong earth quakes and snow avalanches. When the deepest layers of ice and frosts formed around his kingdom, it froze their enemies who have caused such disorder in their realm.

The immortal boy landed on the ground, materialized instantly his blue glowing ice sword and fought a couple of enemies who attacked them after they were able to escape his father's icy powers. He defeated them swiftly, and set aside his sword when hearing his father, seeing the particular house crest engraved on their enemies' armors.

"Snaer…they're from the House of Snaer!" He eyed their defeated enemies who died and turned into crumbling snow.

"Wait, I thought they all left to escape Niflheim?" Jack asked his father.

"Not all of them."

"What do you mean?"

"I've destroyed most of their ships leaving but only one had escaped me."

A group of surviving imperial guards arrived and hurried towards them. "Your majesty!" They kneeled and bowed briefly at their Winter King who stood beside his son.

"How is he?" Their King asked as he walked hurriedly with them towards the imperial grand palace, knowing that one son had survived the enemy's orchestrated attack earlier.

"He had been bandaged, and recovering…"

Jack continued to keenly observe the fallen enemies around, noticed something odd particularly at the enemies' corpses. They had fading rune symbols. He halted from entering the widely opened throne room where his surviving brother is.

Inquisitively, the boy drew near at the corpse near the door and stared at the waning rune symbol in the corpse's head, recalling his lessons with Snip who was teaching him the higher form of winter spells including a taboo spell that could reanimate a long gone dead.

"No! It's a trick!" Jack shouted, facing the opened door while his father stopped approaching his other brother and faced Jack while his deceitful brother pulled away his bandages and materialized his ice sword. From behind, he hacked his own father to death.

Shock, the blue eyed boy stared at his other sibling who pulled away his ice sword from their dying father. Tears flooded Jack's blue eyes.

"Aren't you such a naïve innocent simpleton, brother?!"

"Why?!" Jack cried out at his brother who was absolutely corrupted by his thirst for more power.

"Don't tell me you have no ambitions to have the throne?! Besides, I am doing father a favor, I have helped lighten our father's load, particularly on his head." Using his sword, he took the king's crown and placed it on his own head. "You are lucky, you will remain alive as a witness that I am the Coldest and meant to be the King of Niflheim. And I will bring the change that father failed to bring and that is to stop this endless war in our world." Then, he bended down, almost grabbed the fallen royal staff but the frosted wooden staff flew away from his reach and appeared in Jack's hand instead before it disappeared completely. "Where is it?! Bring the staff out!" he demanded at him. When he viewed his brother stood motionless in disbelief and traumatic shock, he gestured at the imperial guards to imprison his brother in the dungeon down below the palace.

Muted with grief, Jack did not replied him, ignored the guards who pulled him away to be thrown in prison.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – A Daring Escape -

 _Darkness. That's the first thing I've remembered when they threw me in prison. It was dark and it was cold. And I was scared._

The sound of the closing and locking doors of his prison made the shocked and grief stricken boy returned back into his right senses. His blue eyes scanned around, observing his particular prison had no window. Instantly, he focused his powers, and punched at the walls for a couple of hours, and knew he was only wasting his energy to destroy it. The walls are no ordinary dungeon walls at all. They were made of impenetrable walls for the prison walls were specifically made to lock up someone who inherently possessed the magic to create and summon cold, frosts and ice. He stepped away, feeling pain in his bruised and bleeding knuckles.

 _What was worst was not the fear I was feeling, but the grief of losing…_

The boy's eyes seemed to slowly grew accustom in the dark, viewed his own blood splattered on the prison wall in front of him. He slowly stretched out his hand towards the wall. Pressing his finger on the wall, Jack summoned his frost that spread slightly over his splattered blood to form the figure of his deceased father and brothers. Wishing he could have done something, his blue eyes misted, while some of frosts draw and painted a once happy image of his entire royal family. His frosts continued to spread all over the walls, revealing the boy's inner feelings and wishes, shaping particular images of the peaceful pasts that the boy remembered with his family before his home realm had turned into a nightmarish war torn world.

But those times are long gone. Vanished among the long dead and the debris of the ruins…

His frosts halted spreading around as a new set of frost appeared right before Jack and formed a certain image of girl who he had a glimpse and came to love through the Trolden Mirror.

Jack lowered his face and pressed his forehead against the thick wall where her image is. He closed his eyes as the feeling of grief and fear turned into yearning and determination.

 _All I want that moment is to be free…_

He slightly moved away from the wall and held out his hands to deeply focus and concentrate as he recalled his father's advice to him that he had to have the strongest willpower to invoke his most powerful icy powers.

He does not care how long it takes, as long as he will try to break free from his dark prison.

* * *

He does not know how long he was concentrating, until a sound of a pebble falling near his side echoed. Jack startled, ceased his long concentration when noticing the pebble had fallen not in front of him but near above him. Soon, another pebble followed, then, a couple of medium-sized stones until the entire ceiling above crumbled away.

The white haired boy stepped aside quickly, eyed that it was not only the ceiling that fell but someone else who groaned painfully and moved away of what's left of the crumbled ceiling.

"Damn it! And I thought I was nearing the surface!" The brown furry creature halted scolding himself for making the wrong calculations in digging tunnels to escape.

The human-like groundhog stood up when seeing a white haired boy with blue eyes staring back at him.

"Sorry about that! You know, desperate times call for desperate measures. Necessity is the mother of all inventions." He chattered off desperately a couple of clichés as he held out his creative invention of digging out before he fell silent again, realized he was rude for not introducing himself at his fellow prisoner. "I'm Pete, and as you see, I'm a groundhog. And I was imprisoned because I'm very intelligent and I opposed the current abusive monarch! That is the problem in any of the nine worlds, if you are brilliant and talented, they get to kidnap you and make you a slave, and then, a prisoner! If only I knew that this will happen to me, then maybe I shouldn't have shown to everyone how superior my intellect is when it comes to science and inventing things."

"You're Pete, the Groundhog. I heard about you."

"Really?!" He stood up straight in a very arrogant manner. "From who?"

"The winds and leaves told me so. They heard your name being spoken by Bunny, I mean, E. Aster Bunnymund." The boy tried to be formal by mentioning the entire name of the guardian of hope.

"By the heavens, please, don't ever mention that Pooka's name! He's my rival when it comes to who is the smartest creature in the nine worlds! Besides, we had different set of knowledge and wisdom that contradicted and collided with each other. If the Pooka is the leading expert in the ancient arts of secret magic, I am the leading expert in the field of futuristic science and technology. Speaking of rivalry, you, yourself are his seasonal rival, aren't you, bringer of winter?"

"Never realized I'm easily recognizable."

"Of course, you are, Prince of Niflheim. White messy wind swept hair and royal blue eyes and extremely cold emanating powers…" The ground hog shivered slightly in front of Jack as the immortal boy gave a growing grin. His blue eyes lifted up towards the hole where Pete came from, seeing that the indestructible walls of his particular cell had been breached. "A word of advice, that will be of no help at all, the tunnels just lead back to my prison room…"

"Yeah, your prison room with a small barred window …as long as there is a means for my winds to come to me! I'm breaking us out of here!" Jack summoned his most powerful winter winds that stormed and lashed out immediately, wrecking wildly the lowest level of the palace prison where they are, freeing the groundhog and the prince of winter.

* * *

"Are you damn crazy?! We're gonna die!" Pete shouted out his lungs in panic at the reckless boy with blue eyes, held instantly at a nearby wall as to prevent himself from being blown away while the entire prison underneath was totally destroyed along with the western part of the grand imperial palace.

Like his fiercest winds, the white haired immortal boy of winter could never be caged forever. For he was always meant to be free.

Immediately, he subsided his brutal winter winds to avoid immense destruction and casualties. Viewing the vast skies above him, Jack floated inches from the ground upon hearing the ringing of alarm bells all over the capital as the palace dungeons were completely devastated by him, freeing the other captive political prisoners of his oppressive brother.

They all stared in shock and awe, finally realized that there is a surviving royal blood with them for no one in Niflheim could control such powerful winds unless he's descended from the Winter Kings. They moved towards him as if silently seeking his leadership while Jack noticed them.

"For three years of civil turmoil in our Kingdom, we all thought that every Winter Prince was killed by the new cruel Winter King. And here you stand before us. Lead us, your highness. Tell us what to do." One of them spoke at Jack who hesitated, never had viewed himself as a leader. For a moment, he recalled his father's last words to him. And for the first time in his existence, he had accepted to take what his King Father once wished him to be.

The bringer of winter glanced his eyes towards the imperial guards who had armed, gathered, and marched towards them.

"For now, we can't fight against them. We are few in number, we have no weapons, we are unprepared, and we have no strength left against my brother's armies. It would be a blood bath since we are in Cornice Capital, many innocent people will be killed. I don't want that, to see more of my people suffer. We need to leave, then regroup and finally, when the time is right, we fight."

"How?!" Pete asked him while the groundhog drew near and stood beside the white haired boy. "We are surrounded. We cannot outrun them…"Pete's words trailed off when seeing Jack outstretched his hands, summoned the most powerful weapon in Niflheim. The royal frosted wooden crook staff appeared in the boy's hands.

"I'll give you time to escape." Jack turned to face them. "The imperial warriors' priority task to capture is not you, but me." Giving his faint smirk at Pete, the prince spoke to him. "Besides, I owe you one, didn't I? If you haven't dropped in my prison cell, then, not everyone here including me is free. By the count of ten, I suggest you all run and never turn back as if your lives depended on it." The blue eyed boy walked calmly towards the marching imperial soldiers heading towards them.

Hesitating, Pete trailed behind his other fellow political prisoners for he's worried for the boy. He briefly turned, eyeing the courageous boy did not stop pacing towards the King's armies. By the time the countdown ended, Pete quickly faced away, felt the sudden force of powerful cold fall winds from the mountains nearby rushed towards the opposite direction where the imperial soldiers are. Carrying snow and ice with them, the fall winds blanketed the surroundings as to cloak everyone escaping from the capital.

* * *

For hours, he was running without a time to rest. He had reached the outskirts and nearing the winter woods as he was heading to the Northern Mountains, which is the best haven for the likes of him. For a while, he wondered about the bringer of winter, as he stopped in his tracks when sensing a soft breeze and sight of food crumbs falling from a nearby tree.

Shocked, Pete's mouth gape widely, pointed his finger at the familiar white tousled haired boy resting and seated on the tree branch, eating away some food he had picked along his journey which seemed to be the same direction the groundhog was heading to.

"Y-You?! How the hell did you get this fast and safe from the Capital?!"

"Well, I flew." Jack replied his friend, continued to eat, ignored he spoke with his mouth full, then, he gave a satisfying burp that made the groundhog looked confused and doubtful.

"I know you are a prince, but seeing you right now, you're not acting as a refined royalty as I expected you blue bloods are." Pete remained eyeing Jack was munching a large snow apple while his other arm was holding on to the other fruits such as frozen cherries and frosted blueberries which he had gathered in the woods.

"I've been caged in my prison for three years. I've just realized that I'm hungry after I've created those fall winds for our escape. Oh, yeah, it's really funny! I've bluff my brother's best soldiers! " The boy chuckled, still ignoring the food mess around him.

"W-What?! You just realized you are hungry after three years of being imprisoned?!" Pete dumbfounded asked him, contemplating that the boy seemed to be hibernating like a bear for three years without food.

"I was busy concentrating and gathering my full powers to break out from that prison." Jack burped again but this time it was not only a burp while Pete gave a disgusted look at the bringer of winter. The groundhog waved his paw-like hand to shove away the foul odor.

"Your highness, I know you could control the winds, but please not that kind of wind." Pete teary eyed, forced not to breathe, gave a look he was suffocating, spoke further. "I fear for your future bride. She must be the goddess of eternal cool patience with you. You're lucky if she loved you that much because you're an extreme - a wild one, who needs absolute child care from her!"

"Is this about the farting? It's natural." Jack replied his friend casually. "Besides, my future wife could fart all she wants!"

"You don't know anything about romance, girls or women, don't you?!" The brown furry groundhog eyed at the innocent boy. "Never mind. You'll found out someday when you meet the one meant for you."

"Well, I already did met Elsa, my future wife, and she's…." The boy's words faded as his blue eyes seemed to wander dreamily. There are no words for him to describe her. For him, she is everything.

Pete cleared his throat before he asked the prince. "And she's…?"

Jack's dreamy look faded. "In a mirror."

"In a mirror?!" Pete's eyes seemed to spiral as if all logic of science deflated inside his brain since the groundhog knew they were talking about magic instead.

Noticing him, Jack clarified his words. "I mean, she's in another place and another time…"

"That's disappointing…!" Pete halted conversing when the white haired boy instantly gestured him to stop talking when they heard a rustling sound, not made by leaves but by someone nearby tracking them. Realizing they were in a hostile territory where rebels camped, Pete, a political prisoner, gave a certain series of taps with his hands, a disguised code made only between members of a particular rebellious group who are against their oppressive King.

As soon as Pete finished giving the signal, a similar series of taps was heard from the other side. The groundhog gave a sigh of relief, knowing they were meeting his people. He ceased hiding near the tree where Jack was motionlessly observing and seated on a tree branch.

Viewing keenly one of the rebels moved closer as he morphed into a white snowy owl, the bringer of winter halted being suspicious, recognizing the shape-shifting immortal.

The snowy owl landed on the ground near the particular tree, did not faced Pete but his relative as he returned back into his human form, spoke to Jack.

"I'm so glad to see you alive and well, cousin," Frain (Freezing Rain) addressed the deity of winter. "And for the last three years, we thought you were dead along with your other royal brothers."

"W-Wait, you two are of kin?!"

Frain replied Pete. "The lone surviving prince is related to me by his mother's side. We are the sky lords, the snowstorm deities of flight and controller of weather. I, my twin sleet brother, and my father are from the lineage of Thor, we are from the House of Thorleif, which is one of the three great houses of Niflheim."He turned to face Jack again. This time, Jack jumped away from the branch of the nearby tree, and smiled at his cousin, Frain. "My father and my twin brother, Squall, must hear this good news!"

"How are they?" Jack asked Frain.

"They are in camp with Spike and your sister."

Upon hearing such words from Frain, Jack did not wait to be led by his cousin to the hidden rebel's camp, the boy just eyed the leaves nearby before he leaped to fly away. Allowing the winds to carry him where his sister, uncle, cousin and best friend are, he slowly entered the secret side of a huge waterfall of cold water and mists, revealing the hidden rebel's camp.

* * *

Feeling familiarity with the powerful gusts of icy winds that brought someone who they all thought had long been gone, she quickly left the main tent where Spike was having a meeting with Hail, Squall and the other rebel leaders. Upon seeing the royal princess suddenly left, Spike followed her and run hurriedly outside the main tent too.

With widen awestruck grey-blue eyes, Spike stood beside the princess as they and their other companions glanced above at the bringer of winter who was floating above the skies before he landed in front of them.

His overjoyed youngest sister instantly embraced him who embraced her back as he eyed his friend, uncle and his other cousin approached them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Taking a Defiant Stand –

"Thinking we are less than half of his royal armies, and that we are trapped against the Ocean of Glaciers, without any means of escape, your brother will order all of his remaining imperial soldiers to attack us in full force." Hail spoke at Jack, knowing the Winter Prince is a very cunning tactician, whose war strategies usually rely on the layout of their surroundings where they will battle out. "As planned, we will clashed against them near the forests."

Taking in consideration the right timing for their fight, the contemplative prince replied his uncle. "Yes, I will give out the signal. As soon as all eight moons aligned in the skies, Niflheim's known Ocean of Glaciers will give the cover we need. Tonight, the eight moons' gravitation pull will be causing the high tides, affecting the dry iced glaciers of the ocean which will provide the massive clouds of fog that will cover our troops nearby. Our well camouflaged men will prevent the enemy soldiers from escaping. Soon, there will panic, mayhem, and confusion in our enemy's ranks. They will seek the only nearest escape, the canyon. Since the canyon is a narrowed place for all of the enemy soldiers to fit in, their desperate warriors will used unwisely their powers to punch their way out. Their poor decision will make the canyon crumble down on them, enclosing their only way for any of their reinforcements to join them."

The messenger entered the main tent and intruded their conversations, "Your highness! Scouts had arrived with news that the enemy and his armies amassed in the South."

Their Winter Prince left the table with Hail while Spike remained standing near the same table with their battle map. Jack viewed a white falcon landed inside the tent and morphed into Squall.

"The troops are ready," Squall reported to Jack who left the tent and saddled on his steed, Snowstorm. He pulled the reins of his white griffin, joining Hail and his other military rebel officers who were on the cliff viewing the fields and the forest for their incoming battle.

Hail reminded him. "Spike tends to take the surprise lightning strike attack from behind. Half of his armies will be slaying the remaining reinforcements. He will be joined by your mentor, Snip and the rest of his brethren of berserkers."

"Yes, I've already approved of that. We will be encircling the enemy and his entire army, who will gathered at the center as directed by our archers and catapults. Our men, who are camouflaged and waiting at the side, will join us afterwards." Jack replied somberly his uncle, and eyed his twin spy-messengers. "Frain, stay behind with Squall to take care of the long ranged archers and the catapults." After stating such command, their Winter Prince moved away from his companions who joined the ranks of his armies, while Jack pulled the reins of his white snow griffin to direct his steed before his rebel armies of warriors of ice.

Knowing, he had to inspire and give them morale for the upcoming battle, Jack spoke loudly with his authoritative voice as their leader for the first time.

"This day is the day I am honored to ride and fight with all of you, my brothers in arms. Today, we will fight! Fight for the right to free ourselves from his tyrannical shadow! We shall all remember the darkest times, how we struggled for what we really yearned for ourselves, for our families, and for our realm! This time, brothers, we will fight, not to survive, we fight so that we all will live! When we ride in the battlefields, unsheathed your swords, and hold them high, and never feel fear, because we are together, even against the very end!"

After saying such encouraging words, the rebellion's warriors of ice moved and rallied behind their Winter Prince.

* * *

After unleashing the arrows and catapults against the enemy armies, Hail shouted, "Formation!"

Jack remained in front and in the middle, leading his men as he was pulling the reins of his griffin to hasten his speed as all warriors of the ice followed behind him. Pulling out his sword, signaling all of them, Jacks' blue piercing eyes viewed the enemy's armies accelerated speed had also decided to clash like a raging winter storm against them.

 _I had felt the terrible impact of the collision, stood up as fast as I could and held my ice sword against any enemy in my way. They fell one by one with the slash of my sword as blood continued to rain against the snow covered battlefields of Niflheim. And just like the passed months of fighting in the brutal civil war in my realm, at the end of every battle, deep inside of me, there was never a feeling of jubilation of every victory we have attained. For I know, this horrible violence of war will never end, and only the cries of the suffering, the wounded and the dying will haunt me for all of my existence, even if I was fighting for my people's freedom._

Pulling away his ice sword from the last enemy who he had slain, the white haired immortal boy of winter did not lift up his downcast eyes as the shouts of victory from his comrades in arms surrounded him. His lifeless eyes retained at the dripping blood sliding down on his sword.

* * *

Not further joining his companions who were celebrating that night in their camp, Jack without a word stood up from his seat while his sister noticed her brother, almost worriedly followed but Spike held her hand near him.

"Don't. Please understand your brother. He wants to be alone for a while. Every warrior of ice has to deal with it."

"For the passed months, I never seen his smile even if he had finally brought us victory after victory." She replied him who remained holding her hand lovingly.

"I know, your brother is my best friend. He is more of a fun times and snowballs type of a guy." Spike fell in silence for a couple of minutes, before he spoke again, revealing that he missed his lively and humorous friend who is full of mischiefs, jokes, and pranks. "But we all are pushed in this violent civil war, hoping to survive and live as long as we could. For, we lived in an uncertain time…" The spiky white with blue dyed haired boy looked down, whispered at the younger girl who he loved. "And every day, as a warrior of ice, I struggled to live every moment to my fullest." He gave a certain look at her who remained seated beside him. He halted conversing with her when seeing and hearing Frain with his twin brother, Squall, conversing loudly with a girl who almost followed the Winter Prince.

"If I were you, I wouldn't chase his royal highness…" Frain informed the serving girl after drinking mead from his cup.

"Yeah, you'll be wasting your time. You'll just end up broken hearted," Squall added honestly. "The ascetic Winter Prince had no interest of such things, believe us. For his heart was already occupied by his thoughts of eternal love towards a mortal girl. Haven't you not heard of such words that even some of the first age gods have quarreled over him and the mortal girl who has the power of ice and snow?!"

The girl returned to her seat between the Sleet twins who continued to flirt with her. She poured mead again in Squall's cup while Frain slightly frown realizing Squall had won over the girl between them, focused at another serving girl passing by.

Hearing everything, the princess was aware of his brother's predicament. She heard Spike's whisper, comforting her.

"Jack will get over it. Of all people, he will be alright, you'll see…" Spike ceased talking to her when one of the warrior of ice guarding outside their camp, entered and informed them that the King of Niflheim had sent a messenger who was carrying a letter addressed to his royal brother and sister.

* * *

"Your highness, what word have your king-brother sent?" Hail drew near at Jack who is the first one to read the letter before he handed it to his younger sister while Spike and Snip joined the royal siblings inside the main tent.

"He wants a temporary truce."

"And you'll take it?" Snip asked Jack who noticed his friend Spike's look of doubt and suspicion. His mentor who had a good foresight, spoke to the prince again. "It might be a trap, Jack."

"I know." The tousled white haired boy replied his mentor.

"It is obvious that he was asking for a truce to give him and his remaining armies of imperial soldiers some time to regroup and arm themselves again." Hail voiced out. "He knows we are winning, that the tides are against him, and now, out of desperation, he is offering a truce …" His vigilant and cautious uncle halted speaking when the princess intruded him.

"We have to take a chance. We have to take his word, his offer of truce…" Her pleading eyes stared at her elder brother, Jack. She drew near her brother, still clasping the letter of their brother. "He might not offer it again. Besides, do you all still want to fight?! I know you all are tired of fighting and wanted to return to your homes in peace." Seeing his sister's intense and concern look at him, Jack looked away from her. When she received only cold silence from her unyielding brother, the younger girl broke into tears that made the blue eyed bringer of winter to concede when seeing his younger sibling cried in sorrow. She voiced out her words from her heart for the first time. "I don't want to lose you, or him. You both are my brothers…you two are the only remaining family I've got…"

* * *

"I got a bad feeling about this!" Spike complained in a soft whisper while riding his snow griffin in a vast snow covered Southern Forest of Niflheim where the King of Niflheim suggested as the place of their truce.

Jack did not reply Spike, unsaddled from his snow griffin while his younger sister pulled the rein of her snow griffin to stop and stand beside Spike's griffin.

Of the conditions stated in the letter concerning the truce, it seemed only three people were allowed to meet the King, and that includes the Winter Prince and his sister. Spike had just volunteered out of deep concern and devotion to the princess and his friend, Jack.

"Did you just sensed a barrier earlier?" Spike spoke at Jack who silently noticed such invisible wind wall-barrier too. "It's a winter spell to prevent anyone of our side to enter except the three of us."

"Spike, whatever happens…" Jack gave a particular look at his best friend who quickly deciphered the Winter Prince silent message that he had to protect his younger sister. As soon as he eyed Spike, the bringer of winter materialized his ice sword as sudden chaotic winds rushed towards them.

* * *

"My majesty…" His high military officer kneeled and bowed before the King of Niflheim who was at the other side of the Southern Forest. "They are in the targeted area as you have planned."

"Good. And my best assassins?"

"Prepared and ready to kill." His officer spoke to the King. He viewed some of his imperial soldiers were carrying a covered object and placed it in front of their King who stood before it. Pulling the object's covering, revealing the Trolden Mirror, the King instantly whispered a series of highest winter spells. And when he was finished, he turned to face his military officer.

"It's all about winning, and that is through manipulation; it's finding someone's weakness, for almost everyone including my defiant brother, that weakness is the one they love the most!" He then faced the Trolden Mirror and gave an authoritative command. "I am from the line of your creator, Loki, from the House of Frosti, I command you to unleash all of your powers against my brother, that he will see what he had seen the love his heart had craved before, and it will be his downfall, his own end!" In an instant, the Trolden Mirror glowed eerily with green fiery light and invisible forces powerfully shot out from the cursed mirror and headed at the other side of the Forest.

* * *

"Spike!" Jack shouted at his friend who fell from his spooked griffin that run away with their other steeds when indescribable forces shook their place, while Jack retained his powers combined with his sister's power to block the harsh winds of the invisible enemies in the area of the forests where they are.

"Watch out!" His best friend pulled Jack away from where he was standing as countless of arrows stormed towards them. Releasing his friend, Spike kneeled and punched the ground that cracked powerfully, making some snow covered trees fall into the chasm, revealing assassins leaping away from the falling trees. Realizing it was a deceiving cold-bloodied ambush, the spiky haired warrior cursed under his breath as he stood beside the princess and the prince.

Suddenly, a powerful ice blast from one of the assassins stormed towards them. Stepping forward, the white haired boy reacted immediately by blocking the other's force and throwing the same hostile force back to the attacking assassins surrounding them, this time he was merging the enemies' attacks with his own attacks, making it into several deadly ice lightning blasts. Some enemies dodged swiftly from Jack's icy lightning attacks from his summoned winter thunderstorm while Spike summoned frosts combined with the princess' winds that blew Spike's own spiky frosts which were concealing a set of dry ice bombs that blew up into explosive chains near the attacking assassins.

Creating thick and indestructible frosts in his arms to form as protective arm guards, Spike blocked quickly a nearby assassin before the enemy almost reached the princess. He punched his opponent with his ice blades which formed and sprouted from his knuckles. "They are too many! We can't take them all out!" Spike shouted at Jack who heard him.

Realizing his friend is right, he focused his frost powers at his icy bladed weapon in his hands when he slashed down another opponent who falls into frozen pieces. The deity of winter materialized his frosted wooden crooked staff on his other free hand before he slammed it on the ground as countless of blizzards appeared and stormed around, acting as a diversion to the enemy assassins and a desperate way for them to escape.

* * *

"Go!" Jack shouted at Spike and his younger sister. "Go forward! The Southern Forest's breeze told me there are marshes over there!"

"Marshes?! Are you nuts, we can't cross it! We are both wearing heavy armor, we'll sink down, Jack!"

"It will slower them! They can't fly!" Replying him, Jack immediately floated with his younger sister in midair, both royal siblings carried Spike to cross the marshes.

As they made their way across safely, Spike landed on the ground first, paced a few hurried steps but he collided against the invisible barrier caging them. Exhausted, he fell hard on his back while the princess hurried swiftly towards the fallen warrior of ice.

The immortal boy of winter turned to face the enemies who were slowly crossing the marshes. He knew they will be reaching them within a few minutes. The only way for them to escape and live is …

Jack eyed his weary younger sister helping Spike up to his feet.

Without hesitation, the royal blue eyed boy held out his hand holding his frosted wooden staff, whispered a winter spell that stunned both his friend and sister. Sudden powerful winter winds rushed down and destroyed the invisible barrier and protectively carried away his sister and friend, while Jack remained behind came face to face with the surrounding assassins.

Too tired of the long hours of non-stop fighting, Jack's hand holding the royal staff trembled, making the particular weapon disappear. The only weapon left for his use was his blue glowing ice sword. The exhausted boy struggled to pull up his ice sword defensively before him as the enemies prepared to slaughter him.

They attacked him who remained fighting them, ignoring the pain of their slashing and piercing weapons against him.

But what was worse was when they have used a deceiving illusion against the immortal boy of winter who was unable to block their most deadly death blow when he saw images of the mortal girl like what he had seen in the cursed mirror. It was too late for the boy when he raised his sword to block them. And when he did lift his sword, it slipped away from his hand as it clashed against their weapons.

With his ice sword fallen on the ground, the bleeding and dying boy fell down on his knees. Then, his warrior instinct desperately unleashed his last ounce of energy, a powerful surge of frosts that spread across the enclosed area of the forests where he and the enemy assassins are. Every assassin immediately froze and crumbled into pieces.

 _My own brother knew we were winning, but instead of taking the plea of our sister for peace, he had set us up in a deceiving lure that ended my own life._

Rasping heavily, Jack felt his body slumped down against the ground while his hand held on his deep wound which was profusely bleeding at the side of his upper torso. Viewing his other hand outstretched before him, he noticed the darkening skies began to snow as the first snowflake that fell down had landed on his hand. His blue eyes stared at the intricately beautiful snowflake which strangely glowed, followed by the appearing flurries of radiant snow. And then a pure silvery white light shone forming a silhouette of the Valkyrie of Snow.


End file.
